Color television



Feb. 2, 1954 A.1. G. REDDECK lCOLOR TELEVISION Filed Feb. 1, 1952 wkk II'IIIII lllllllllll I NNN wmgw i hw g Y SQ Nwk Qu NSQMMQ A Vlk QQ@ llllmull lllllL Patented Feb. 2, 1954 COLOR TELEVISION Joseph G. Reddeck,

New Brunswick, N. J., as-

signor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application February 1, 1952, Serial No. 269,477 y color television signal for bandwidth reduction purposes.

One type of color television signal can be considered as comprising a brightness component extending from zero to approximately 4i megacycles, and a colorcomponent having a color subcarrier at 3.9 megacycles with sidebands extencb ing' approximately 2 megacycles on either side of the color subcarrier frequency. rihe upper sideband is restricted by the overall bandwith limitations of the television system so that the upper sideband iscut ofi' above 4.1 megacycles.

In order to transmit this -4.l megacycles color television signal over a coaxial cable having a narrower bandwidth (such as D-2.'7 megacycles) it is necessary to change the color subcarrier frequency from 3.9 megacycles to a lowerv value which is within the pass band of the cable. In one proposed system the color subcarrier is set at 2.34 megacycles with sidebands ci .3 megacycle extending either side of the carrier. The brightness component of the color television sig nal is limited to a frequency band extending from zero to 2.0megacycles. this coaxial cable, the color subcarrier frequency is changed from 2.34 megacycles to its original frequency of 3.9 megacycles. Such a system is described` and claimed in United States patent of RQD. Kell, Number 2,627,549, issued February 3, 1953.

It is an Yobject of this invention to provide apparatus to shift the frequency of the color subcarrier of a composite color television signal.

It is a further purpose of this invention to provide apparatus to shift the frequency of the'color subcarrier of a composite color television signal without using frequency divider circuits.

According tothe present invention, an oscillator runs at a sub-harmonic of the frequency of the color subcarrier of a normal color television signal (for example at a sub-harmonic of 3.9 megacycles). The output frequency of this oscillator is multiplied and Yapplied 'to Ya vphase detector for-'lock-in ofthe oscillator frequency with the-burst frequency of the input signal. The output frequency of the oscillator is then multiplied to obtain a heterodyning frequency.

,Other and incidental objects of this invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from a reading of the following'specification and an inspection of the accompanying drawing which shows an embodiment of this invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown at point'l a source of composite color television signal whosecolor subcarrier is at a frequency of F,=3 .9 megacycles. 'Ihisjsignal is fedA through a transmitter heterodyne unit Sto a utilization cir-V cuit II having an input terminal i3 and an output terminal l5. At terminals I3 and I5 the frea claims. (ci. 17a-.51.45

At the receiving end of Y quency of the color subcarrier is f=2.34 lmegacycles. Theutilizationcircuit Il is shownY asa coaxial cable. f f Y Terminal l5` can -be considered as a source of composite color television signal whose color subcarrier is at a frequency of )i234 megacycles. This signaluis Tedthrough'a receiverfheterodyn'e unit I'lto the input terminal I9 -of a vutilization circuit (not lshown). At terminalY i9 the' lfrelquency of the color subcarrier is F=3.9Tme'g`a cycles. Asthe transmitter heterodyne Aunit 9 andthe receiver heterodyne unitv I1 have similar structures, the description' that follows is written in terms that will apply to both these'units. i Similar components are given the same reference numerals, the sufx T being used forthe'components of transmitter heterodyne unit il and the suffix R being used for the components of the'recever heterodyne unitll. f A heterodyne unit isfconsidered yto rshift the frequency of thecolor'subcarrier of a vcomposite color television signal .from a first (orinputlfrequency to aV second (or output) frequency.` Thev higherk of these frequencies is designated as i'f while the lower of these frequencies isdesignated Uf. f Y.

f In the specific Y embodiment tion ,shown inv the drawing:

@33 mega-cycles f=2.34 megacycles Y Y V1n=3 A l Thesource (1- or I5). offcom'posite colorftelevision signal whose subcarrier isl at. a kiirst (or input) frequency is connected to the input terminal of a low passlfllter 23. Thesame source (l or I5) of composite color televisionsignal is also connected to theinput'terminal 25'of a band pass lter 21 and ,to the input terminal 29A of a ,burst separator 3l. The band pass filter 2l is designed to Vpass -theflrst l(or, input) frequeneytogether with sidejbands of a predeterminedrvidth (in the illustrated embodiment the side bands each have a width'of .3 me'gacycle). 3| is designed to separate the rst (or input.) fre#- quency fromjthe composite color television signal. An oscillator-,33 'having an output terminal '35 generates a frequency of is equal lto 2. Y Y* of the present inven- The burst separatorv a mixer 51.

"of the composite color television-signal.

` vision signal.

the multiplier 31 will have a frequency output, at its terminal Mfequal .to the frequency present at the output terminal 43 of the burst separator 3l. A phase detector 45 is connected between terminais 4I and 43. This phase detector producesa signal which, when applied to oscillator/33 via lead 41, locks the frequency of the oscillator to the first (or input) frequency.

A frequency multiplier 49' has" its input terminal 5i connected to the output terminal 35 of oscillator 33. The frequency multiplier AS'ha's a'multiplication factor which is equal to the sum of m and n.

The output terminal 53 of the frequency mul- `tiplierll!) isconnected to aninputterminal'55 of The Aoutputterminal 5S ofthe band pass filter 21 is connected to an input'terminal A6I yof mixer :51. The output terminal `63 of vthe -mixer51 is vconnected to the input terminall'5 of abandpasslfilter. `.'Ih'ebandpass lter 51 is designed to pass the second (or output) frequency together with side bands nf a predeter- `mined width (inthe illustrated embodiment of this invention the side bands eachhave a width of .3 megacycle). The output terminal 69 'of the band pass filter 61 is connected to an input terminal 1I of an'adder circuit `13. The output terminal 15 of thelow pass filter 23 is connected to "an input terminal 11 of adder 13 through a delay line 1'8. The .signal vpresent at the output ter- .'minal 19 of adder 131is`applied to the input terminal f I3 or I9) of a utilization circuit.

A heterodyne unit willithus have 'two paths. One path, comprising the low passi-liter 23 and the delay line 18, passes the brightness component Another path, comprising band'pass'lter-ZL mixer 51'an`d band passifilter 61, passes and shifts the color subcarrier component of the composite color tele- AThe brightness and color 'components are added in adder 13.

The shifting of ithe color subcarrier is done in mixer 51 by means of a heterodyning frequency obtained at the output terminal 530i multiplier 49. This heterodyne frequency is locked to the frequency of the color subcarrier of the input signal. The oscillator is 'run at frequency of Its output frequency is multiplied to a value equal ,to the frequencyof the burst of the input signal. These two lfrequencies are vapplied v-to a :phase detector whose output signal keeps'the 'frequency of the oscillator 33 .locked in'to the subcarrier frequency of the incoming signal in a well'known manner. The heterodyne frequency is equal to the oscillator frequency multiplied Iby a factor equal to the sum of m andra.

'Itwill benoted that the vcircuit according 'to `theIpresent inventionavoids the use of dividers. vThis is important as dividers may not remain vstableall the timefand under all operating conditions. It will alsobe noted that the oscillator 33 runs 'at the same frequency in both the transmitter'heterodynefunit 9 an'dthere'ceiverheterodyne unit I1.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus to shift the frequency of the color subcarrier of a composite color television signal fromaiirst frequency'to a second frequency, the ratio o`f the higher of these frequencies F to the lower' of fthese frequencies"f -being equalto said composite color television signal including a burst at said first frequency, fsaidiap'paratus comprising: a-source of 'composite'color television signal whose color subcarrier is at said first frequency', a first band pass lter having input and outputterminals and designed t0 pass said rst frequency together with sidebands of a predeterminedwidth, a connection between the source of composite color television signal and the input terminal of said rst band pass filter, a burst separator vcircuit 'having input and output teroscillator output terminal and the input terminal of said first multiplier, a phase detector connected between the output terminals of said burst separator and of said first multiplier and arranged to produce a signal, a connection to apply vsaid signal to said oscillator to lock its operating frequency wi th said rst frequency, a second multiplier having input and output terminals and whose multiplication factor is equal to the sum vof m and n, a connection between the output terminal of said oscillator andthe input terminal of said second multiplier, a mixer having input and output terminals, a connection between an input terminal of said mixer and the output terminal of said second multiplier, a connection'between the output terminal of said first band pass filter and an input terminal of said mixer, a secondhand pass filter having input'and output terminals and designed to pass said second frequency Atogether with sidebands of a predetermined Width, .a Lconnection between the output terminal ofV said mixer and the input terminal of said second bandfpass filter, a low pass lter having input and output terminals, a connection between said sourceof composite color television signal and y,said .low passfilter input terminal, an adder circuit having input and output terminalsa connection between .the .output terminalof said low pass filter yand an'input terminal of said adder circuit,a connection betweenthe output terminal of said-second band pass -iilter and the input terminaloffsaid adder circuit, utilization means having an input terminal, and a connection between the Voutput terminal kof .saidfadder-circuit and the input-terminal of said utilization means.

2. VApparatus according to claim l whereinsaid connection'between the output terminal ofsaid low pass lter and an input terminal ofsaid adder circuit includes a delay line.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein-the highest frequency passed by said lowpass filter is lower .than the lowest frequency passed by said second band pass filter.

JOSEPH G. REDDECK.

References Cited in the file of thispatent An Analysis of the SamplingPrinciples of the Dot-Sequential Color vTelevision -System, "RCA Review, June-September, 1950. 

